More Than 100 Franchise Brands Associated With International Franchise Association Access PPE As Result of BrightStar Care and Franworth Partnership

May 15, 2020 // Franchising.com // ANN ARBOR, Mich. - In the midst of COVID-19, there have been many examples of companies innovating and partnering to solve unprecedented challenges. To ensure the safety of BrightStar Care clients and franchise employees to continue providing the highest quality of in-home care during the pandemic, CEO and founder Shelly Sun and her team leveraged resources across the globe and quickly secured necessary PPE. With over $2 Million invested in the procurement side of the equation, the BrightStar Care team enlisted the help of Franworth, a franchise-focused growth equity firm led by immediate past International Franchise Association (IFA) Chair David Barr and Founder and CEO John Rotche. BrightStar Care leveraged the Franworth’s state-of-the-art Fulfillment Division to facilitate and accelerate distribution of crucial PPE materials for its franchise system. Now BrightStar Care and Franworth are offering access to the PPE inventory to the franchise community at cost.

With nearly 340 locations, each BrightStar Care independently owned and operated agency employs nurses and caregivers who are on the frontline, providing in-home care and ensuring the most vulnerable population can remain safe at home and out of hospitals. Through the rapid capabilities of the Franworth Fulfillment Division proprietary supply chain system, BrightStar Care was able to fill and distribute orders for all franchise owners of essential PPE including N-95 masks, face shields, digital thermometers, disposable gloves and hand sanitizer bottles. As a result, Franworth’s services enabled BrightStar Care’s independently owned and operated small businesses to continue serving and protecting the safety and well-being of their staff and clients.

“It’s been a long journey, but we wanted to support the entire franchise community in the fight against this pandemic by making PPE available for everyone regardless of who they are caring for during these times. Partnering with Franworth has made this all possible.” said Shelly Sun, CEO and Founder of BrightStar Care. “We always want to do the right thing, so we have invested more than $2 million in PPE and vetted all sources thoroughly so that our franchisees can instead focus on their business. Our goal is to protect BrightStar Care clients and ensure that our offices’ employees can continue providing the highest quality of in-home care during the pandemic. We also want to empower the entire franchise industry to truly make a difference in their local communities and taking the workload away from them when it comes to sourcing PPE frees them up to do what they do best.”

With PPE supplies in high demand, many businesses are struggling to determine how to prepare for reopening while maintaining the safety of staff and customers and items remain scarce. As leaders within the franchise industry, BrightStar Care and Franworth have expanded their partnership in an effort to help more franchisors gain access to the materials they need, extending PPE at cost to fellow IFA members through the reliable and unparalleled services of Franworth’s Fulfillment Division. Since the launch of this initiative, BrightStar Care and Franworth have fulfilled PPE orders for more than 100 franchise companies, providing them with the resources they need to reopen their business while following the health and safety guidelines of their local community.

“Limited access to PPE materials is one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today, and we’re proud to be partnering with BrightStar Care and leveraging the capabilities of Franworth’s Fulfillment Division to support the franchising community,” said Franworth President of Procurement Dan Hannay. “We know that our technology and supply chain resources can alleviate some of the burden for franchisors who are trying to support their franchisees through the COVID-19 pandemic. Having an opportunity to make a positive impact on fellow IFA members has been incredibly rewarding and we look forward to helping more brands facilitate their PPE distribution needs and navigate the challenges of these unprecedented times.”

Franworth’s Fulfillment Division is an invaluable warehousing, procurement and distribution resource for its portfolio and affiliate franchise brands, providing value to companies of all sizes.

About BrightStar Care

Based in Chicago, BrightStar Care is a national private duty home care and medical staffing franchise with nearly 340 locations which provide medical and non-medical services to clients within their homes, as well as supplemental care staff to corporate clients. BrightStar Care franchise locations across the country employ over 20,000 caregivers and over 3,500 nurses who play a unique role in overseeing the care for each individual client. In addition, BrightStar Care is the only national home care franchise to receive The Joint Commission's Enterprise Champion for Quality award every year since the award's inception.

About Franworth

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Franworth accelerates value for brands and independent unit value for franchisees using our proven franchise systems, professional support services and shared resources platform. Partnering with Franworth gives franchise concepts access to an expansive suite of best-in-class processes, talent, technology, proprietary supply chain system and logistics designed to help scale their businesses efficiently to achieve profitability and maximize their potential for success. Led by a team of industry veterans with more than 450 years of combined experience, Franworth's executive board and leadership team includes Founder, CEO and Managing Director John Rotche, CFE; Managing Director and Partner David Barr; Partner Drew Brees; President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Keil; General Counsel and Chief of Staff Jonathan Koudelka; Chief Financial Officer David Taccolini, President of Procurement Dan Hannay, Operating Partner and Professional Services Division Lead Mike Skitzki; and Operating Partner and CEO of The Lash Lounge Meg Roberts. Franworth's current portfolio of franchise brands includes The Lash Lounge®, skoah®, CITYROW® and Madison Reed Color Bar®.

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